Gimbaled ceiling lighting fixtures having a single plane of rotation are well known in the art. Such a gimbaled lamp consists of a fixed ceiling trim housing and a movable lamp housing in which the lamp housing will typically be supported on a horizontal axis attached to the ceiling trim, and passing through the approximate center of the lamp housing. In this configuration, the lamp housing may be rotated about the axis and is thereby able to be focused upon objects below the ceiling and within the plane of rotation. When it is desired to point the lamp at objects outside the plane of rotation, it may necessary to twist the ceiling trim housing within the ceiling cavity, or turn a rotatable element within the ceiling trim housing to orient the plane of rotation to intersect the object to be highlighted. Twisting or rotating the lamp may require removal of the trim or of the movable lamp housing, and may prove difficult or even impossible.
The situation is exacerbated when modern lighting that gives off a large amount of heat is used. Such lighting may include halogen incandescent bulbs or light emitting diodes (LEDs) that may be gathered in an array to provide sufficient lighting for the purpose, and may require a heat sink to conduct excessive heat away from the lighting element. One solution to the problem is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,259 to Walczak et al., in which a fixed heat sink having a concave hemispherical shape is attached to the ceiling trim, and a ball shaped array of LEDs is mounted adjustably within the heat sink. Heat generated in the LEDs is transferred to the heat sink which then radiates heat within the ceiling cavity. While this arrangement may permit omnidirectional focusing of the LED array, it is a large and bulky structure that takes up significant space within the ceiling cavity and may not be suitable for limited space environments. What is needed is a compact gimbaled ceiling lamp that can easily be pointed in any direction below the ceiling, and that does not require removal of the trim or lamp housing to accomplish such orientation.